Manufacturing & Trade Inventories & Sales

How the Data are Collected

The estimates in the Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales (MTIS) report are based on data from three surveys: the Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders Survey (M3), the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS), and the Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS). You can find information concerning how the Census Bureau uses statistics to generate estimates for each of these surveys by following the links below:

• Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories and Orders Survey Methodology
• Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey Methodology
• Monthly Retail Trade Survey Methodology